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Autumn, 1331
With battle imminent, Logan rode atop Mera to check on the Stanton Brigade. His troops had already taken up position at the second line, slightly West from center, guarding a line of fortifications that ran from the Cnaeus Road to the coastal plain. As dragon and rider approached, Mansker turned and quickly called out:
“Form ranks for the commander!”
In short order, the troops formed into line of battle, with spears and swords and bows ready.
While Logan was still in nominal command of the brigade, he had appointed Liza as the unit’s commander in his absence. The Guester now calmly stood ready for combat ahead of the troops, while Mansker, Rabia, Finch, Guyot moved out in front to steady their individual companies, and Woden sat ready at a sniping perch. The unit gave a quick cheer as Logan arrived and looked over his old command.
The Stanton Brigade had been restructured since its devastating losses of the previous Autumn and Winter. Including some new recruits as well as those that were wounded and recovered from the earlier fighting to rejoin the unit, the contingent now numbered perhaps 600 individuals. The Forester inwardly sighed: only a fraction remained among his friends, neighbors and acquaintances who had started out with him only a year ago.
Publicly however Logan smiled as he viewed his unit, battered and worn. His old companions looked to him for guidance and stability, but the Forester had been ordered elsewhere, so here was the time for reassurance.
“Comrades!” The Colonel announced. “We have gone through much. You have done what could be asked of you and then some. I can only ask of you all one final time to do your utmost! The enemy is at our doorstep, but they have been bloodied and weakened. They are desperate! They are gambling!”
Logan gestured to the fields to the North, the Fortress of Kolyma looming in front.
“The decisive fight is coming! It will be a sore day. It will be a sad and bloody day. But may it be a day we remember with pride! For we are fighting not for some distant king or decadent nobles or scheming merchants, we are fighting for our homes and our loved ones! Stanton, not Caldern, lies behind us!”
The unit cheered as Logan continued.
“I know you will defend her well, for I have seen you fight dragons! Now with dragons by our side, the Stanton Brigade surely cannot lose! Let us perform great deeds that will be remembered for generations!”
The cheers went louder. For a moment the calls echoed across the grassy landscape.
“So you and the Guardian are not joining us here for battle?” Woden abruptly asked when the shouts finally died down.
Logan awkwardly nodded. “Unfortunately, no. The Guardian wants me to help him in the fighting in the air, and Field Marshal Dodge has ordered that all dragons hold back until his personal orders to attack. I don’t like it, but I trust in his judgement.”
“Oh. But of course.” The woodsman scratched his neck. A slight mutter of dismay shuddered through the ranks.
“I am not abandoning you folks.” Logan quickly asserted. “My fight is in the air. Just like you are all defending our homes here, so I will be defending you all up there. The Guardian and I will honor our oaths.” The Forester looked upon every member of the brigade nodded again. “Wherever we end up, the Guardian and I will be with you.”
Then Logan bowed his head before his comrades, and Mera did the same for the townsfolk. A hush fell over the onlookers, then a cheer erupted again.
“You will all do Stanton and Nalbin proud.” The Forester concluded, before raising his awlpike into the air. “May the Heavens bring fortune!”
For the fifth time, cheers echoed through this small part of the army.
***
Logan eventually dismounted the dragon to check up on the battle plans for the Stanton Brigade with Liza and Bidgewell.
“Good speech. Lots of flattery.” Liza stated without preamble.
“A little winding and disjointed actually.” Bidgewell shrugged. “But the speech got its point across. Having the great wyrm bow certainly helped.”
“You two ready for what’s coming?” Logan asked his two successors.
“As ready as we can be.” The Guester replied. “Mera would better show up at some point.”
“The plans are fine.” The lawyer added. “But the dragons would certainly be encouraging.”
The Forester nodded. “Good to hear. We’ll do our best to present ourselves.”
“Best of luck then, Logan.” Liza tapped her helm with the edge of her gladius.
“May you forever fly above the fickle winds and changing tides.” The Forester replied with the traditional dragon farewell.
“You might need good air currents more than we do.” Bidgewell concluded.
After being satisfied with the Stanton Brigade’s dispositions, the Forester and the dragon went around the unit, encouraging folks and making their presence felt. Logan noticed that Mansker was painting his face with woad, clay and gypsum. The Colonel cocked his head sideways in confusion.
“Learned it from Thetis,” Mansker replied with slight embarrassment.
“She’s a great hero to emulate.” Logan reassured him. “Let her memory motivate us to victory.”
“I will.”
Eventually Dragon and human bid their farewells and headed back to Caldern Castle, passing by the other units of the line alongside the Stanton Brigade. The Whidbey Brigade. The Astor Brigade. The Humboldt Division. The Royal Division-the consolidated remnants of the old Royal Army. As he continued on ahead Logan spotted a soldier within that unit turn and abruptly stop to look at him.
That person looked familiar, Logan thought to himself.
“Colonel!”
Colonel Martin Cunningham walked forward with a look of slight bemusement and offered out his hand.
“We meet again, Hunter of Lynchburg.”
Logan scratched his neck awkwardly and took the gesture. “Yes, much has changed since we last met. I am now the Forester of Stanton.”
Martin gave a genuine smile. “Much has…I am glad to see the dragon’s enchantments on you have worn off and you have found your place.”
“Um…yes. Stanton has been good to me.”
The two humans abruptly stopped their conversation when Mera caught up and walked by. Noticing that he was being watched, the dragon stopped and gave an awkward wave at his former enemy.
Martin frowned.
“That is the Stanton Dragon, isn’t it?”
“Um…no, it’s the Son of the Stanton Dragon.” Logan quickly coughed into his hand. “You killed the Stanton Dragon in a glorious duel, remember? I just found and raised its offspring. It’s been blessed by a cleric and is good.” He added for good measure.
“The dragon lord that reinforced us was from your area.”
“Yes.”
Martin gave Logan a long, silent glance. Then he sighed.
“Very well, then. May it be of help in this upcoming battle.”
Kirin J Callinan - Big Enough ft. Alex Cameron, Molly Lewis, Jimmy Barnes
From
chickenzaur!
With battle imminent, Logan rode atop Mera to check on the Stanton Brigade. His troops had already taken up position at the second line, slightly West from center, guarding a line of fortifications that ran from the Cnaeus Road to the coastal plain. As dragon and rider approached, Mansker turned and quickly called out:
“Form ranks for the commander!”
In short order, the troops formed into line of battle, with spears and swords and bows ready.
While Logan was still in nominal command of the brigade, he had appointed Liza as the unit’s commander in his absence. The Guester now calmly stood ready for combat ahead of the troops, while Mansker, Rabia, Finch, Guyot moved out in front to steady their individual companies, and Woden sat ready at a sniping perch. The unit gave a quick cheer as Logan arrived and looked over his old command.
The Stanton Brigade had been restructured since its devastating losses of the previous Autumn and Winter. Including some new recruits as well as those that were wounded and recovered from the earlier fighting to rejoin the unit, the contingent now numbered perhaps 600 individuals. The Forester inwardly sighed: only a fraction remained among his friends, neighbors and acquaintances who had started out with him only a year ago.
Publicly however Logan smiled as he viewed his unit, battered and worn. His old companions looked to him for guidance and stability, but the Forester had been ordered elsewhere, so here was the time for reassurance.
“Comrades!” The Colonel announced. “We have gone through much. You have done what could be asked of you and then some. I can only ask of you all one final time to do your utmost! The enemy is at our doorstep, but they have been bloodied and weakened. They are desperate! They are gambling!”
Logan gestured to the fields to the North, the Fortress of Kolyma looming in front.
“The decisive fight is coming! It will be a sore day. It will be a sad and bloody day. But may it be a day we remember with pride! For we are fighting not for some distant king or decadent nobles or scheming merchants, we are fighting for our homes and our loved ones! Stanton, not Caldern, lies behind us!”
The unit cheered as Logan continued.
“I know you will defend her well, for I have seen you fight dragons! Now with dragons by our side, the Stanton Brigade surely cannot lose! Let us perform great deeds that will be remembered for generations!”
The cheers went louder. For a moment the calls echoed across the grassy landscape.
“So you and the Guardian are not joining us here for battle?” Woden abruptly asked when the shouts finally died down.
Logan awkwardly nodded. “Unfortunately, no. The Guardian wants me to help him in the fighting in the air, and Field Marshal Dodge has ordered that all dragons hold back until his personal orders to attack. I don’t like it, but I trust in his judgement.”
“Oh. But of course.” The woodsman scratched his neck. A slight mutter of dismay shuddered through the ranks.
“I am not abandoning you folks.” Logan quickly asserted. “My fight is in the air. Just like you are all defending our homes here, so I will be defending you all up there. The Guardian and I will honor our oaths.” The Forester looked upon every member of the brigade nodded again. “Wherever we end up, the Guardian and I will be with you.”
Then Logan bowed his head before his comrades, and Mera did the same for the townsfolk. A hush fell over the onlookers, then a cheer erupted again.
“You will all do Stanton and Nalbin proud.” The Forester concluded, before raising his awlpike into the air. “May the Heavens bring fortune!”
For the fifth time, cheers echoed through this small part of the army.
***
Logan eventually dismounted the dragon to check up on the battle plans for the Stanton Brigade with Liza and Bidgewell.
“Good speech. Lots of flattery.” Liza stated without preamble.
“A little winding and disjointed actually.” Bidgewell shrugged. “But the speech got its point across. Having the great wyrm bow certainly helped.”
“You two ready for what’s coming?” Logan asked his two successors.
“As ready as we can be.” The Guester replied. “Mera would better show up at some point.”
“The plans are fine.” The lawyer added. “But the dragons would certainly be encouraging.”
The Forester nodded. “Good to hear. We’ll do our best to present ourselves.”
“Best of luck then, Logan.” Liza tapped her helm with the edge of her gladius.
“May you forever fly above the fickle winds and changing tides.” The Forester replied with the traditional dragon farewell.
“You might need good air currents more than we do.” Bidgewell concluded.
After being satisfied with the Stanton Brigade’s dispositions, the Forester and the dragon went around the unit, encouraging folks and making their presence felt. Logan noticed that Mansker was painting his face with woad, clay and gypsum. The Colonel cocked his head sideways in confusion.
“Learned it from Thetis,” Mansker replied with slight embarrassment.
“She’s a great hero to emulate.” Logan reassured him. “Let her memory motivate us to victory.”
“I will.”
Eventually Dragon and human bid their farewells and headed back to Caldern Castle, passing by the other units of the line alongside the Stanton Brigade. The Whidbey Brigade. The Astor Brigade. The Humboldt Division. The Royal Division-the consolidated remnants of the old Royal Army. As he continued on ahead Logan spotted a soldier within that unit turn and abruptly stop to look at him.
That person looked familiar, Logan thought to himself.
“Colonel!”
Colonel Martin Cunningham walked forward with a look of slight bemusement and offered out his hand.
“We meet again, Hunter of Lynchburg.”
Logan scratched his neck awkwardly and took the gesture. “Yes, much has changed since we last met. I am now the Forester of Stanton.”
Martin gave a genuine smile. “Much has…I am glad to see the dragon’s enchantments on you have worn off and you have found your place.”
“Um…yes. Stanton has been good to me.”
The two humans abruptly stopped their conversation when Mera caught up and walked by. Noticing that he was being watched, the dragon stopped and gave an awkward wave at his former enemy.
Martin frowned.
“That is the Stanton Dragon, isn’t it?”
“Um…no, it’s the Son of the Stanton Dragon.” Logan quickly coughed into his hand. “You killed the Stanton Dragon in a glorious duel, remember? I just found and raised its offspring. It’s been blessed by a cleric and is good.” He added for good measure.
“The dragon lord that reinforced us was from your area.”
“Yes.”
Martin gave Logan a long, silent glance. Then he sighed.
“Very well, then. May it be of help in this upcoming battle.”
Kirin J Callinan - Big Enough ft. Alex Cameron, Molly Lewis, Jimmy Barnes
From
chickenzaur!
Category Artwork (Traditional) / Doodle
Species Western Dragon
Size 2749 x 1960px
File Size 1.41 MB
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